Create calm throughout your home with our guide of stylish storage ideas for every room. Untidy rooms are known to increase stress levels and lessen our ability to sleep and concentrate. As Amanda Talbot writes in Happy: Creating Joyous Living Spaces Through Design: “I can guarantee that when all your items have their own place, you will be so much happier and more at ease.” Before splashing out, it’s worth taking the time to clear any clutter first. Then you can buy with confidence, knowing you’re not investing in more things you don’t really need . . .
Kitchens
The heart of the home can be tricky to keep tidy, especially if it’s been knocked into one big cooking/ dining/ living space. A good designer instinctively knows how to utilise every nook and cranny; for example, the dead space under floor cabinets can be transformed with plinth drawers, ideal for putting smaller gadgets and tins that aren’t needed every day. A few inches of space is all that’s needed for wine bottles or spices. Old-fashioned larder cupboards and walk-in pantries brim with space and show no sign of waning in popularity. For versatility, choose furniture on castors that can be moved around, like Habitat’s metal and wood kitchen trolley, £100.
‘A Place for Everything’ is a treasure trove of ideas for smaller items like pan lids and frying pans. Its Elfa Door & Wall Rack, £115, makes use of the back of a door and holds tins, spices, bottles and utensils; alternatively it can be screwed to a wall. Lakeland’s extendable shelves, from £11.99, give cupboards another layer of space in seconds, while John Lewis’s Anyday Shelf Basket, £13, slots neatly underneath. If you’re hooked on the Netflix series Get Organized With The Home Edit the John Lewis ‘Home Edit & iDesign’ range will get you salivating.
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Living Rooms
Footstools and sofas with hidden storage come into their own when guests turn up unexpectedly. Habitat, Snug Sofa, M&S and Willow & Hall all have sofas with valuable space underneath, while Loaf stocks three versatile storage footstools: the Pot Pie (£645) even doubles up as a coffee table or extra seating. Televisions can dominate and create a tangle of ugly wiring, which is why they rarely feature in interior magazines.
The Bruton Media Cabinet from The Dormy House, £2,150, is big enough to hide digital boxes, remotes, game consoles and DVDs. You could also ditch the TV for a state-of-the-art projector with a drop-down screen to free up space. Sussex-based Seven Integration can install a projector that descends from the ceiling at the touch of a button. There are also mirrors that cleverly incorporate TVs that vanish when switched off (see Overmantels.co.uk), and Samsung’s The Frame Art Mode Smart TV turns your screen into a gallery.
Furniture that’s wall-mounted, or has thin legs, will increase the illusion of space: see the dark oak Hairpin Coffee Table with shelf and drawer, £299, and Shelving Unit Bookcase in oak or walnut, £479, both John Lewis. Extra shelves can be built into alcoves and the space above doors.
Bathrooms
Boxes, baskets and shower organisers are your best friend here. In larger bathrooms a chest of drawers squirrels away toiletries, towels and bedding; grey fabric drawer organisers from the new John Lewis Anyday range, from £8, will stop smaller items rolling around. IKEA’s Vesken storage trolley, £9, is only 18cm wide and slides into narrow gaps.
Aykasa crates, an Instagram favourite, are recyclable, foldable and come in a rainbow of colours from just £6. Add natural texture with Habitat’s wicker chest, £45, or H&M’s narrow seagrass Handmade Laundry Basket, £24.
Croydex’s ingenious Storage Bath Panel, £100.63, from Plumbworld, has lockable sliding doors to safely stash cleaning products behind. If you’re investing in a new suite, consider basin units rather than standard pedestal sinks; the Jill solid teak and ceramic bathroom cabinet, £475, is great-looking and has two doors that swing back to reveal lots of space.
Bedrooms
Thin, velvet coat hangers are cheap as chips and magically create extra space in wardrobes without the need to throw anything away. They’re also non-slip, so clothes don’t slide off. Currently, Dunelm are selling 25 for just £5.
Feng shui experts believe storing items below the bed can affect our quality of sleep. If it’s not practical to keep this area clear, try to only store ‘unenergetic’ items underneath in zip-up bags – think bedding, out-of-season clothing and towels rather than tax papers or electronic equipment. Loaf’s Store Storage Bed comes in four sizes and 141 fabrics, from £995 for a double.
If there’s no room for a bedside table, IKEA’s Skadis 36cm x 56cm pegboard combination, £14.50, attaches to the wall and its Brimnes headboard, £80, has handy shelving built into the sides.
Hallways
Many homes lack sufficient cupboard space, which can make this high-traffic area a real headache to keep tidy. Wall hooks keep coats, umbrellas and sports gear organised: Asda’s FSC-wood round screw-in hooks are fun, eye-catching and just £8 for a set of five. IKEA’s stackable Sortera range is good for storing shoes.
If there’s more space, families of four get a drawer to themselves with Cotswold Company’s Shoe Bench, £425; its Chester Hallway Tidy, £645, has a bench storage seat, peg hooks for coats and scarves and a hat shelf. For a more minimalist look, there’s the Clockhouse Hallway Bench, £280, from Garden Trading.